Providence at work: First year at Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis changes students’ lives

Providence Cristo Rey High School students, left, Breonna Jones, Samoya Heard and Simone Heard prepare for the high-ropes course at Butler University in Indianapolis. The fitness course was part of team-building training for Providence Cristo Rey’s corporate work-study program. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

It’s nearly impossible to capture the first year of a new Catholic high school with just one story, but Providence Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp has never been one to shy away from a challenge.

As the president of Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, Sister Jeanne considers the request and then begins to share a telling moment about her school—the latest in a national network of 19 schools which are building a reputation for helping students from low-income families through a work-study program that is changing lives.

The moment occurred this spring, shortly after Sister Jeanne met with all the students to remind them that they needed to keep pushing themselves academically, that she and the school’s teachers wouldn’t accept anything less than their best efforts.

After the meeting, one student who is learning disabled went to her guidance counselor in tears, worried that her struggles in her classes would lead to her being asked to leave the school. When the guidance counselor told Sister Jeanne about the girl’s concerns, this time it was Sister Jeanne who cried.

“I met with her and told her she works so hard,” Sister Jeanne recalled. “She said, ‘Sister, at my other school, they let me sit because they didn’t think I could do the work. They just gave me grades because they didn’t think I could earn them. At Providence Cristo Rey, I discovered something I never thought I could accomplish. I know I earn the grades I get. That’s why I love the school so much.’ ”

Sister Jeanne paused. As fresh tears streaked down her cheeks, she continued, “I told her, ‘I promise you. We’ll work so hard to get you where you want to go.’ She was crying. I was crying. Certainly the year has had its challenges and frustrations, but then you remember the kids’ stories and you understand why you’re doing this.”

Taking advantage of an opportunity

That combination of caring for and challenging students flowed at Providence Cristo Rey in its first year, which ended on June 13. It was that way ever since its grand opening celebration on Aug. 15, 2007.

On that steamy day, an audience of students, staff members, parents and supporters crowded into the un-air-conditioned school gymnasium and learned that 96 percent of the 2006 graduates of the 18 other Cristo Rey high schools across the country headed to college.

They also learned that Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis didn’t have a staff, a building or any students three years ago, the time when Sister Jeanne was chosen as the school’s president.

On that August day last year, then-14-year-old Brittnee Vaughn looked around the hot gymnasium and said in a hushed tone, “I didn’t realize there were so many people who want the school to be a success. It means I want to make people here proud of me. I want to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Ten months later, near the end of the school year, Brittnee sat in the school and talked about how her first year at Providence Cristo Rey had changed her life.

One day a week, she worked at AIT Laboratories in Indianapolis as a specimen processor, a job that tapped into her interest in science and her desire to become a forensic detective in the future.

“I love the job,” she said. “I have to get as much information as I can from the specimens. I feel like I’m needed here.”

She knows she was challenged the other four days at school.

“I’ve become more independent, classes have gotten a lot harder, there’s been a lot more homework for sure, and the teachers have been on our backs about a lot of things,” she said. “That’s good. They are caring about us. They don’t want anything to happen to us or anyone around us.

“My mother wants me to be here. She thinks it’s a benefit to get a step ahead.”

Dreams and inspirations

Getting a step ahead has been the dream of the Cristo Rey network of schools since the first one opened in Chicago 12 years ago. Jesuit Father John Foley—the chairman of the national Cristo Rey network of schools—believes that “every child deserves a chance” and “we shouldn’t tolerate any more waste of talent in our big cities today.”

Sister Jeanne has her own inspiration for the Cristo Rey school in Indianapolis, which is sponsored by the Sisters of Providence. The inspiration comes from St. Theodora Guérin, the French sister who came to Indiana in 1840 and forever changed the course of education in this state by establishing and staffing schools that gave people from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn and grow in their faith.

Every day, Sister Jeanne calls upon the advice that St. Theodora gave her fellow Sisters of Providence more than 160 years ago: “Have confidence in the Providence of God that so far has never failed us. Grope along slowly. Be patient, be trustful. And rest assured, if you lean with all your weight on Providence, you will find yourself well-supported.”

Sister Jeanne is even more convinced of the wisdom of those words after the first year of Providence Cristo Rey.

“It’s been a year of ups and downs,” she said. “The upside is looking at all the situations in which students have beat all the odds and done some amazing things. There are just some amazing turnarounds.”

Just ask Terry Majors, 15, who just completed his freshman year at the school.

“My grades weren’t that good in the first semester,” he said. “Now, I’m getting A’s and B’s. The school has showed me how to be a role model. It showed me how to step up my responsibility. When you step up your responsibility, you get more things done. I’m trying my hardest.”

He had the same approach in his job at Duke Realty Corp. in Indianapolis, where he performed a variety of duties, including work on a computer. He dreams of becoming a lawyer someday and eventually president of the United States.

“Last year, I wasn’t as comfortable as I am now,” he said. “I used to be a wise guy. Now, I’m at a school that has boosted my confidence. I want to be where people can believe in me. This school wants you to be successful. This school taught me a lot through the year. It’s why I am who I am.”

Facing challenges with faith

While there were many success stories, the first year brought challenges, too.

“The biggest challenge is that in many cases the students haven’t been challenged before and they know they’re not going to get by without being challenged here,” Sister Jeanne said. “There’s been a fear of failure. The hurdle we had to help them jump is that it’s better to try and see if you can do it. If you fail, we’ll find another way to help you do it.”

The other big challenge is recruiting new students—and keeping them.

“Trying to get the word out is really hard,” Sister Jeanne said. “Most of the students aren’t in the Catholic schools.”

She hopes to have an incoming class of 100 students enter the school in August. Of this year’s 90 students who started the school year, about 70 finished the year at Providence Cristo Rey.

“Typically, our schools [in the Cristo Rey network] lose about 30 percent of the students during freshman year,” Sister Jeanne said. “It’s a tough transition for kids. We lost some because of behavior or they were looking for an easier environment. Some of it was our choosing, some was because of transportation problems. One student didn’t seem to believe in God.”

When a student left the school for any reason, Sister Jeanne took it personally.

“She doesn’t want to give up on the kids,” said Anne O’Dea, the school’s director of admissions. “What makes her so right for this school is that she continues to give everything she can for these students to be successful.”

That commitment often meant arriving at the school at 6 a.m. and not leaving until 10 p.m.

“I don’t think our faculty and staff have worked this hard in their lives, but it’s worth it,” said Sister Jeanne. “I look at our kids and I know their families’ histories. The challenges some of our kids face make our challenges totally insignificant.”

O’Dea shared the story of one student who spoke at a meeting for prospective students and their parents. The student told the audience that there have been times when he wanted to leave the school. Then he shared the reason why he’s glad that he stayed.

“He told this story of his best friend who was with gang [members] and they wanted to rob this store,” O’Dea said. “He said his best friend is now in jail. He said to the group, ‘You know where I was? I was in school.’ ”

Sister Jeanne listened to that story and nodded. For her, it’s another story of Providence at work at Providence Cristo Rey.

“I really believe that many of these kids would not have some doors opened to them in the future if it wasn’t for here,” Sister Jeanne said. “It hasn’t been easy. But over and over, all you have to do is look at the faces of these kids, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’re doing everything we can to change the lives of these students.”

(For more information about Providence Cristo Rey High School, contact the school at 317-860-1000 or log on to www.providencecristorey.org.) †